"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
-- Sinclair Lewis

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Hillary The Misleader And Her SuperPACs

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At the Democratic Party debate in Milwaukee, Hillary, whose every response was meant to mislead, responded to a question from Judy Woodruff about her corrupt approach to politics-- "Nearly half of your financial sector donations come from ... George Soros and Donald Sussman. You said there's no quid pro quo. Is that also true of the donations that wealthy Republicans give to Republican candidates, contributors including the Koch brothers?"-- like this:

You're referring to a super PAC that we don't coordinate with, that was set up to support President Obama, that has now decided they want to support me. They are the ones who should respond to any questions... But the real issue I think the senator is injecting into this is that if you had a super PAC, like President Obama had, which now says it wants to support me, it's not my PAC, if you take donations from Wall Street you can't be independent.

I know some of the donors who gave to Priorities USA and Priorities USA Action, the two major PACs in question, and there should be no doubt that Hillary (as well as Bill) raised the money for the PAC (well over $30 million so far) and surreptitiously-- and as illegally as Jeb, Rubio, Cruz and the rest of them do-- completely controls it. First lets look at the tiny handful of billionaires and multimillionaires who have funded it:

Yesterday, one of Hillary's slimiest and most key operatives-- DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, announced that she had taken it on her corrupt self to roll back Obama's restrictions that banned donations from lobbyists and PACs to the DNC. I guess she feels pretty confident that Hillary has the nomination locked up, since it is only presidents and presidential nominees who can make this kind of a rule change.

The decision was viewed with disappointment Friday morning by good government activists who saw it as a step backward in the effort to limit special interest influence in Washington. Some suggested it could provide an advantage to Hillary Clinton’s fundraising efforts.“It is a major step in the wrong direction,” said longtime reform advocate Fred Wertheimer. “And it is completely out of touch with the clear public rejection of the role of political money in Washington,” expressed during the 2016 campaign....The DNC’s recent, more sweeping reversal of the previous ban on donations from lobbyists and political action committees was confirmed by three Democratic lobbyists who said they have already received solicitations from the committee. The lobbyists requested anonymity to speak freely about the committee’s decision, which has been otherwise kept quiet.For the most part, they said, the DNC has returned to business as usual, pre-2008. The DNC has even named a finance director specifically for PAC donations who has recently emailed prospective donors to let them know that they can now contribute again... The decision could further inflame tensions between the DNC and supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who has railed against the influence of lobbyists, particularly those representing Wall Street.Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, has set up a joint fundraising committee with the DNC called the Hillary Victory Fund, which raised $26.9 million through the end of 2015. Sanders has set up a similar joint fundraising committee but Federal Election Commission records show it has not been active, raising a total of just $1,000.The new Clinton Fund collects money from large donors that is then distributed between Clinton’s campaign and 33 state Democratic Party committees. In recent months, a Clinton solicitation asked supporters to give up to $366,100 to the fund. Her campaign then received $2,700 of the total for the primary period, while the rest went to the DNC and 33 state party committees. Federal Election Commission records show that through the end of the year, 56 donors had written checks of $100,000 or more to the Hillary Victory Fund. Most of the contributions came from individuals, but a handful came from corporations or labor unions.Reformers complain that the new rules have already changed Washington ethics. They provide opportunities for “influence-buying by Washington lobbyists with six-figure contributions to the Hillary Victory Fund,” said Wertheimer, suggesting that lobbyists could also face “political extortion” from those raising the money. He called on Obama to reverse the recent DNC decision to change the rules.Clinton spokesman Josh Schwerin emphasized the grass-roots nature of Clinton’s campaign and the candidate’s commitment to reform.

Yes, the entirety of the Clinton campaign is built on a tissue of lies-- not the Trump/Cruz genre of made up nonsense lies-- but a careful pattern of what one of her congressional colleagues referred to today in private conversation as "oleaginous" lies. everything she says is meant to confuse and mislead the listener. Not on a Trumpian magnitude of blatancy, but enough of a lie so that no one in the country trusts her or thinks she's honest. That wasn't just created by Republican propaganda. Watch her vile, revolting performance at Thursday's debate-- one slimy, unwarranted attack after another, very much like how Chris Christie defined Rubio's debate technique.

Write for the Washington Post yesterday, Matea Gold reported that her Priorities USA Action is about to start spending big, including $4.5 million in South Carolina radio spots.

The early engagement by Priorities USA Action-- which originally planned to hold its fire for the general election-- marks the first major infusion of super-PAC money on Clinton’s behalf and underscores how crucial South Carolina has become in her battle with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.The Priorities group is rolling out the early vote campaign Friday in partnership with the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy organization, and EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women.Separately, Priorities USA is spending $500,000 to launch the radio ad in South Carolina beginning Friday, casting Clinton as the candidate to build on President Obama’s legacy.The burst of activity serves as an acknowledgment of the tough fight Clinton finds herself in against Sanders, who trounced her by more than 20 points in New Hampshire Tuesday. It also could provide fresh ammunition for Sanders, who has repeatedly castigated the former secretary of state for being supported by two big-money super PACs....Guy Cecil, chief strategist for Priorities USA, said the new ads will solely focus on positive messages about Clinton. He described the early vote campaign as an effort that will also pay dividends this fall if she is the Democratic nominee.Her advisers have made it clear that turning out African Americans and Latinos in large numbers is vital.“For Hillary Clinton and her campaign, the March states represent an opportunity to build a coalition of support that’s as diverse as the Democratic Party itself,” campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a memo released Tuesday. “Hispanics and African Americans play a critical role in who we are as a party and who we are as a nation. Many of the most delegate-rich states also have some of the largest minority and urban populations-- states like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois and Florida.”Meanwhile, in South Carolina, Priorities USA is aiming to mobilize black voters to come out for Clinton with its new radio ad, which is set to remain on the air until the Feb. 27 primary. The spot was produced by FUSE Advertising, an African American media firm based in St. Louis.“We all worked hard in 2008 and 2012 to elect President Obama,” the commercial begins. “And we’ve seen with our own eyes how Republicans have tried to tear him down every step of the way. We can’t let them hold us back. We need a president who will build on all that President Obama has done. President Obama trusted Hillary Clinton to be America’s secretary of state. And we know Hillary Clinton has the vision and courage to help build an economy to support our communities.”“Hillary Clinton will always stand strong for us,” the ad concludes.

UPDATE: Define BriberyDorothy Reik, president of Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains, wrote a simple explanation of how campaign donations work in response to Clinton's misleading statements in the last two debates about how the millions of dollars corporate special interests have given her political career and put into her personal accounts through millions of dollars in "speaking fees" for herself and her husband. I wonder if someone could put it to music and turn it into the chorus of a song:

Arms companies donate and we get warHealth care companies donate and we get the ACA instead of single payerBig phama donates and we get high drug pricesFossil fuel companies donate and we get global warmingHedge funds donate and we get charter schoolsBankers donate and we get deregulation